What preparations should a household make for extended loss of electricity?

1. 74

   breathe2travelposted 11 years ago

   What preparations should a household make for extended loss of electricity?

   replyreport
2. 71

   aguasilverposted 11 years ago

   Make sure you have a water deposit as large as possible, If it is high enough above taps level, you will still have a water supply despite no pumps working, though only for the amount of water in the deposit, as no fresh water will be pumped in.
   
   Get at least a gas ring, to cook from.
   
   Stock up an candles and oil lamps with supplies of paraffin to run the lamps.
   
   Have a stock of dried/canned foodstuffs.
   
   Grow a vegetable garden.

   replyreport
3. 60

   shara63posted 11 years ago

   all that  "aguasilver" adviced is perfect, only a little to add...that is ..an extra set of uttensils , clothes, furnishings that suits to situation.... and some mosquito, insects  repellant/creams/ for sure!

   replyreport
   1. 71

      aguasilverposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I got busy and had to put the comment in before I added those sort of things! Thanks for adding them.

      replyreport
   2. 60

      shara63posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      you are welcome aguasilver..yours was truely an excellent advice that emphasised on the most basic and essential households and without which life wud  really become miserable specially when in crisis of elecrticity!

      replyreport
4. 36

   edhanposted 11 years ago

   Electricity only affect the lighting of the house. So, we have already equipped ourselves with portable LED lighting which is sufficient to light up the necessary location as not to get knock or fall down.
   
   Other than that, we rely on natural gas supply so it will not be much of a problem except no internet! sob...

   replyreport
5. 85

   Express10posted 11 years ago

   Water and food are important but having batteries and/or a portable generator are also important. Keeping medicines refrigerated might be a requirement for an ill family member and some people require the use of electric appliances for their medical devices.
   
   Your home security is also of greater importance as you might not have the benefit of exterior night lighting or motion detecting lights. Making sure there are some board games, puzzles, books, crafts, etc. may help everyone keep busy so they don't get cabin fever.

   replyreport
6. 60

   landscapeartistposted 11 years ago

   Every household should think about what one would need if you were to go camping with an rv.  We have been through the ice storm of 1998.  After going through two weeks with no electricity and no heat, we prepared for a future event should it ever happen.  We bought a generator.  In fact, we bought two.   One is a gas and the other is diesel powered.  The diesel can run an entire house. The other one can run a smaller house or camp.  My home is heated with a pair of wood stoves, and my boyfriends house is heated with a wood pellet  stove.  We have a box with emergency candles, canned food and a veggie garden growing.  We always keep a couple cans of fuel set aside for emergency purposes.  Battery powered lights etc.

   replyreport
7. 96

   cat on a soapboxposted 11 years ago

   The time of year is a big consideration w/ regard to keeping warm or cool. I would arrange for a portable generator to run the refrigerator and other neccessities.  Candles, flashlights, or oil lamps will provide sufficient lighting. You can override electronic igniters on gas stoves, but will need alternative cooking sources if you're running all electric like campstoves or outdoor grills.  If you have well-water on a pump, you'll need to address that too.  Check your propane tanks!

   replyreport
8. 73

   Julie DeNeenposted 11 years ago

   I can speak from experience as Hurricane Irene put us out for ten days. A couple of crucial questions you need to ask yourself:
   
   1. Do you have well or city water? If you have city, water will continue to run in your home. If you have well water, you will have to prepare to get water from other sources. Collecting rainwater in large buckets will help with things like flushing toilets, and bottled water will have to be used for teeth brushing and drinking.
   
   2. Do you have a gas stove? If so, that can continue to run. Otherwise, purchasing a propane grill or charcoal grill will be a huge help.
   
   3. What season is it? If it's summer, you have to keep cool- which is fairly simple to do with shade and water. However if it's winter, keeping warm will be a bit tricky. A propane heater, wool blankets, down sleeping bags can all help. Having a fireplace also is a plus.
   
   4. Empty out your fridge and purchase as many non-perishables as you can. If you have access to a place that sells blocks of ice, purchase a couple in keep them in coolers. You can pick out chunks of ice to use in another cooler to keep perishables from spoiling.
   
   5. Fill your car with gas, and use it sparingly. Gas stations will not be able to pump gas. You can even fill up extra gas ahead of time.
   
   6. Charge your cell phone, and make sure you have a car charger. When you do decide to drive around, make your phone calls then.
   
   Those are the ideas I have off the top of my head!!

   replyreport